The evening air was thick with the scent of old stone and flickering lanterns as the castle's courtyard hummed with life. Laughter echoed from the open hall, mingling with the faint melody of distant music. After a year within these towering walls, you had learned how to blend into the chaos, yet tonight felt different — as though the shadows carried secrets too heavy to ignore.

Standing near the edge of the courtyard, your gaze drifted toward the sprawling garden beyond. A voice, warm and teasing, broke through your thoughts.

"You know, brooding by yourself isn't exactly a great party strategy," Mattheo said, his grin unmistakable even in the dim light.

Your heart skipped, as it often did when he was near. Mattheo's energy was magnetic, a force that drew people toward him, you included.

"I wasn't brooding," you protested with a small smile. "Just... thinking."

"Thinking? Dangerous pastime." He leaned closer, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Careful, or you'll end up like Tom."

You laughed despite yourself, glancing toward the hall where Tom stood in intense conversation with Draco and Blaise. "What's wrong with thinking?"

Mattheo shrugged, his grin softening. "Nothing. But dancing is better." Without waiting for permission, he took your hand and tugged you toward the garden path.

The laughter and music faded behind you as the two of you walked deeper into the garden, the moonlight casting silver across the cobblestone path.

"See?" he said, his voice quieter now. "Better than thinking."

You nodded, the weight of the world slipping just slightly from your shoulders. "You might be right."

As you stood there, hand still loosely entwined with his, you wondered how this impulsive boy had managed to become your anchor. You had fallen for him without meaning to, caught up in his laughter, his daring, his warmth.

And yet, you had no idea that the very hands holding yours carried the weight of your past. The truth lay hidden, waiting — he is the one who k/II3d your mother.